{"id":23059,"date":"2024-01-23T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-01-23T09:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/performance-institute\/?post_type=article&p=23059"},"modified":"2025-12-15T05:11:04","modified_gmt":"2025-12-15T05:11:04","slug":"we-all-know-how-important-a-sense-of-belonging-is-so-what-are-you-doing-to-help-your-athletes-feel-part-of-something-bigger","status":"publish","type":"article","link":"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/performance-institute\/articles\/we-all-know-how-important-a-sense-of-belonging-is-so-what-are-you-doing-to-help-your-athletes-feel-part-of-something-bigger\/","title":{"rendered":"We All Know How Important a Sense of Belonging Is, So What Are you Doing to Help your People Feel Part of Something Bigger?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n
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\n 23 Jan 2024 <\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>Articles<\/a>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

We All Know How Important a Sense of Belonging Is, So What Are you Doing to Help your Athletes Feel Part of Something Bigger?<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n \n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Category<\/div>\n Leadership & Culture<\/a> <\/div>\n
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https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/performance-institute\/articles\/we-all-know-how-important-a-sense-of-belonging-is-so-what-are-you-doing-to-help-your-athletes-feel-part-of-something-bigger\/<\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/section>\n\n\n\n\n
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Members of the Leaders Performance Institute answered this question from their own experience and shared responses ranging from environmental renew to the power of positive storytelling.<\/p>\n \n \n \n

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By Luke Whitworth<\/h6>\n
This member virtual roundtable centred around the theme of \u2018belonging\u2019, in which we dedicated time to collaborate as a group on sharing insights and experiences around why belonging is a key cornerstone of a high performing environment, as well as how we are working to bring the notion of belonging to life in our respective environments.<\/h6>\n

The notion of \u2018belonging\u2019 can be simply defined as \u2018a sense of connectedness to others and what you are doing\u2019. The Cambridge English Dictionary extends the definition of belonging to \u2018a feeling of being happy or comfortable as part of a particular group and having a good relationship with the other members of the group because they welcome you and accept you\u2019.<\/p>\n

Psychology research shows that in cultures and environments that show autonomy, competence and belonging, individuals will elevate their engage in tasks and activities they are asked to commit to.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s clear from both the literature and lived experiences of the group that creating belonging is a powerful tool for a harmonious and high-functioning environment. The aim of this particular roundtable was to share best practices and examples of how we are trying to foster belonging in our environments.<\/p>\n

It starts at the induction stage<\/strong><\/p>\n

In one of the breakout groups, they reinforced the idea that the process of creating positive belonging starts at the induction or onboarding phase and how important it is to dedicate time and intent towards this process to set the right tone. The work to create belonging continues week on week during this onboarding phase, with the acknowledgement and value that an individual or individuals bring to the team. From a team perspective, it is an opportunity to acknowledge the variety and diversity of backgrounds, skills and views of those in the department or organisation from the outset.<\/p>\n

In summarising this first point, there was an excellent reflection that how we make people or an individual feel is the most important thing. Every interaction matters and what you do is about making them feel the way you want them to feel.<\/p>\n

Setting the stall out around the culture<\/strong><\/p>\n

There were a number of reflections on how to give your environment the best opportunity for positive belonging. Identify the values and culture expected of individuals within your environment, and perhaps most importantly, find practical ways to instil them. Is everyone in the environment crystal clear on what the behaviours and expectations are? If you have this in place, there can be collective accountability. Similarly, it is important to be consistent in positively reinforcing, noticing and celebrating positive examples of those behaviours.<\/p>\n

A couple of people on the call also suggested that coach buy-in is really crucial in this process. If the head coach buys into the values then the majority of people in the environment tend to follow, such is the influence the head coach carries.<\/p>\n

In setting yourselves up for success, create opportunities for athletes, coaches and staff to convene and build the culture together. Creating opportunities for discussion on values and behaviours supports the idea of creating a sense of belonging. It is widely acknowledged that engagement, contribution and a love for what you do leads to a sense of belonging, therefore lies the challenge in ensuring we are bringing this to life.<\/p>\n

Finally, there was a discussion around language and its importance. There was a fantastic phrase shared on the call that \u2018above-the-line language is powerful, but below-the-line language is powerless\u2019. There is a responsibility to own the standards of the language.<\/p>\n

The power of storytelling<\/strong><\/p>\n

A common response from the group around effective ways to instil belonging was utilising the power of story. Find the story that connects to the people that you’re working with, whilst recognising the significant cultural differences that exist in the environment. The story that you use must align with the culture. One environment on the call shared how they leant on metaphor in creating an overarching theme that is reframed every year.<\/p>\n

Story also presents the opportunity to connect those across the backroom staff, athlete population and other forward-facing roles. There was a suggestion this should also extend to family members of those involved, bringing them into the culture and environment, knowing the importance of the environment off the field. Do they feel that sense of belonging as well?<\/p>\n

Finally, we also discussed the impact story can have around connecting individuals to the cultural environment of the country that you are in. It also presents the opportunity to embrace the culture that individual is bringing into the environment.<\/p>\n

Create opportunities for shared experiences & collective input<\/strong><\/p>\n

Responses from the group indicate that every interaction matters and it is important to be mindful of that. Therefore, how are you intentionally creating opportunities for shared experiences and opportunities for collective input from different stakeholders?<\/p>\n

A simple initiative to instil is celebrating \u2018the good\u2019 when done well and highlighting small wins and successes.<\/p>\n

Encourage active listening and understanding of everyone\u2019s opinions \u2013 providing a space and opportunity for everyone to have a voice in key decisions is found to be an effective way of supporting belonging in an environment. To ensure the above is both effective and a success, organisational leaders require an openness and receptivity to ensure the environment is designed to be safe.<\/p>\n

There were also a number of reflections around the power of \u2018inclusive initiatives and rituals\u2019 that bring people together. Finally on this point: are you formally capturing information from the stakeholders in your environment in a consistent way? This is a simple tactic to remain on the pulse of the environment, ensure those in the organisation have a chance to provide feedback and contribute to decision-making and the state of play on the culture.<\/p>\n

Providing space to better understand the \u2018whole person\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n

One of the final key buckets of discussion around instilling a sense of belonging in your environment was formal and informal opportunities to better understand the whole person. We should strive to provide space to celebrate authenticity and our true selves. Does your environment provide an opportunity for employees to breathe and express themselves?<\/p>\n

A foundation stone of the High Performance Strategy in the Australian Olympic System is the athlete\u2019s voice. The idea is to provide opportunities to understand one\u2019s journey, both as an athlete and as a person. The self-determination theory concept is something that is really key in this piece and its relatedness to belonging. Creating opportunities to understand the whole person allows for further insight around ones intrinsic motivation and the opportunity for honest, open conversations within the environment.<\/p>\n

Final reflections<\/strong><\/p>\n

At our Leaders Meet: High Performance Environments event in Melbourne back in 2023, we ran an Open Spaces session on this exact topic. The aim of the session was to allow the audience on the day to share stories, experiences and perspectives on belonging. Five things came through strongly from those in the room that day around what we can do to enhance belonging in our environment.<\/p>\n

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  1. Recognition and feeling valued:<\/strong> leaders having an understanding of the individual and what they contribute to the team.<\/li>\n
  2. Understanding the whole person:<\/strong> creating opportunities, both formal and informal to get to know more about the people you work with other than what their role is. Having a forum to share your story, providing awareness and respect of outside of work commitments.<\/li>\n
  3. Inclusive rituals:<\/strong> how are we making others part of the family?<\/li>\n
  4. Shared experiences:<\/strong> opportunity for trust and friendship to be developed. Celebrating others\u2019 successes rather than just the outcome of competition.<\/li>\n
  5. A safe and welcoming environment:<\/strong> explicit commitment to psychological safety. Creating an environment that gives people a high degree of autonomy and trust to do their job. Provide a healthy space for debate and then valuing and actioning that input.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/p>\n <\/div>\n \n \n \n <\/div>\n
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